Doha [Qatar], April 1 (ANI): QatarEnergy confirmed that the Aqua 1, a fuel oil tanker on charter to the company, was struck by a missile in the State of Qatar’s northern territorial waters in the early hours of Wednesday. The company said none of the crew were injured and there was no environmental impact.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan. According to the vessel’s Company Security Officer, an unknown projectile hit the tanker’s port side, damaging the hull above the waterline. UKMTO said the crew were safe and there was no pollution.
UKMTO added the vessel was struck by two projectiles: one started a fire that was later extinguished, and the other remained unexploded in the engine room. The organisation said it could not confirm the source of the projectiles and that investigations were ongoing.
Separately, missile attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City in mid-March severely disrupted global energy supplies, cutting Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by about 17 percent and worrying import-dependent countries. In an official statement, QatarEnergy said strikes on March 18 and early March 19, 2026, caused extensive damage to key production facilities and are expected to cost an estimated USD 20 billion in annual revenue. The company said repairs could take up to five years and that it had declared long-term force majeure on some LNG contracts.
Qatar’s statement said the attacks damaged LNG Trains 4 and 6, which together account for 12.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of output—roughly 17 percent of the country’s exports. Train 4 is a joint venture of QatarEnergy (66 percent) and ExxonMobil (34 percent); Train 6 is a joint venture of QatarEnergy (70 percent) and ExxonMobil (30 percent). The attacks also hit the Pearl GTL facility, a production-sharing project operated by Shell that converts natural gas into cleaner-burning fuels and feedstocks used in lubricants and other products. (ANI)
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